Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.

A higher white blood cell count may be an important predictor for cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality, cancer mortality, all-cause mortality, decline in lung function; so, an important predictor for heart attacks, strokes, declining lung function, dying from cancer, and premature death in general. No surprise, as the number of white blood cells we have circulating in our bloodstream is a “marker of systemic inflammation.” Our body produces more white blood cells day to day in response to inflammatory insults.

We’ve known about this link between higher white counts and heart attacks since the 70s, when we found that higher heart attack risk was associated with higher white blood cell counts, just like it was with higher cholesterol levels and higher blood pressures—something that’s been found in nearly every study done since then. Decades of studies, involving hundreds of thousands of patients, showing “dramatically higher…mortality rates” in those with higher white counts.

But why? “Why does…white blood cell count predict mortality?” Maybe because it’s a marker of inflammation and oxidation in our body. In fact, maybe even a biomarker for how fast we’re aging. But, it may be more than just an indicator of inflammation, but an active player, contributing “directly” to disease via a variety of mechanisms, including the actual “obstruction” of blood flow.

The average diameter of white blood cells is like seven and a half micrometers, whereas our tiniest vessels are only like five micrometers wide. So, the white blood cell has to squish down into like a sausage shape to squeeze through. And, when there’s inflammation present, these cells can get sticky. Here’s more images of a white blood cell plugging up a vessel as it exits a small artery, trying to squeeze into a capillary—slowing down or even momentarily stopping blood flow. And, if it gets stuck there, it can end up releasing all its internal “weaponry,” normally reserved for “microbial invaders,” and damage our blood vessels. This may be why in the days leading up to a stroke or heart attack, you may find a spike in the white cell count.

Whether white count is just a marker of inflammation, or an active participant, it’s better to be on the low side. How can we reduce the level of inflammation in our body? Staying away from even secondhand smoke can help drop your white count about half of a point. Those that exercise also appear to have an advantage, but you don’t know if it’s cause and effect unless you put it to the test. Two months of Zumba classes—just one or two hours a week—led to about a point-and-a-half drop in white count. In fact, maybe that’s one of the reasons exercise is so “protective.” But is that just because they lost weight?

“Fitness and fatness” appear to both play a role. More than half—51.5%—of obese persons with low fitness have white counts above 6.6. But those who are more fit, or who have less fat, are less likely to be up that high. Of course, that could just be because exercisers and leaner individuals are eating healthier, eating less inflammatory diets.

How do we know excess body fat itself increases inflammation, increases the white count? You’d have to find some way to get people to lose weight without changing their diet or exercise. How’s that possible? Liposuction! If you suck about a quart of fat out of people, you can significantly drop their white count by about a point. So, maybe this should get us to rethink the so-called normal reference range for white blood cell count. Maybe we should revise it downward, like we’ve done for cholesterol and triglycerides.

Up until now, we’ve just based normal values on people that might be harboring significant background inflammatory disease. If you just restrict it to those with normal C-reactive protein, another indicator of inflammation, then instead of normal being 4.5 to 10, maybe we should instead revise it closer to 3 to 9.

Okay, but where did the healthiest populations fall—those not suffering from the ravages of chronic inflammatory diseases, like heart disease and common cancers? Populations eating diets centered around whole plant foods average about 5, whereas in the U.S., at the time, it was closer to 7 or 8. The reason we know it’s not genetic is if you take those living on traditional rural African diets, who are down around 4 or 5, and move them to Britain, they end up closer to 6, 7, or 8. Ironically, the researchers thought this was a good thing—referring to the lower white counts on the uncivilized diet as neutropenic, meaning too few white blood cells. They noted that during an infection or pregnancy, where you really do need more white cells, the white count came right up to wherever necessary. So, bone marrow of those eating traditional plant-based diets had the capacity to create as many white cells as needed but “suffers from understimulation.” They’re just not smoking enough cigarettes and eating as many inflammatory foods.

Similar findings were reported in Western plant-eaters, with an apparently stepwise drop in white count as diets got more and more plant-based. But maybe there are non-dietary factors, such as lower smoking rates, in those eating healthier? What you need are interventional trials to put it to the test. Just 21 days of removing meat, eggs, dairy, alcohol, and junk affected a significant drop in white count, even in people who started out down at 5.7.

Those that started out even higher—patients with rheumatoid arthritis starting up around 7? No change in the control group that didn’t change their diet, but a one-and-a-half point drop within one month on whole food, plant-based nutrition. That’s a 20% drop. That’s more than the drop in inflammation one might get quitting a 28-year pack-a-day smoking habit.

The most extraordinary drop I’ve seen was in a study of 35 asthmatics. After four months of a whole food, plant-based diet, their average white count dropped nearly 60%, from up around 12 down to 5, though there was no control group, and not enough patients to achieve statistical significance.

If white blood cell count is such a clear predictor of mortality, so inexpensive, and reliable, and available, why isn’t it used more often for diagnosis and prognosis? Maybe it’s a little too inexpensive. The industry seems more interested in fancy new risk factors you can bill for.

Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.

A higher white blood cell count may be an important predictor for cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality, cancer mortality, all-cause mortality, decline in lung function; so, an important predictor for heart attacks, strokes, declining lung function, dying from cancer, and premature death in general. No surprise, as the number of white blood cells we have circulating in our bloodstream is a “marker of systemic inflammation.” Our body produces more white blood cells day to day in response to inflammatory insults.

We’ve known about this link between higher white counts and heart attacks since the 70s, when we found that higher heart attack risk was associated with higher white blood cell counts, just like it was with higher cholesterol levels and higher blood pressures—something that’s been found in nearly every study done since then. Decades of studies, involving hundreds of thousands of patients, showing “dramatically higher…mortality rates” in those with higher white counts.

But why? “Why does…white blood cell count predict mortality?” Maybe because it’s a marker of inflammation and oxidation in our body. In fact, maybe even a biomarker for how fast we’re aging. But, it may be more than just an indicator of inflammation, but an active player, contributing “directly” to disease via a variety of mechanisms, including the actual “obstruction” of blood flow.

The average diameter of white blood cells is like seven and a half micrometers, whereas our tiniest vessels are only like five micrometers wide. So, the white blood cell has to squish down into like a sausage shape to squeeze through. And, when there’s inflammation present, these cells can get sticky. Here’s more images of a white blood cell plugging up a vessel as it exits a small artery, trying to squeeze into a capillary—slowing down or even momentarily stopping blood flow. And, if it gets stuck there, it can end up releasing all its internal “weaponry,” normally reserved for “microbial invaders,” and damage our blood vessels. This may be why in the days leading up to a stroke or heart attack, you may find a spike in the white cell count.

Whether white count is just a marker of inflammation, or an active participant, it’s better to be on the low side. How can we reduce the level of inflammation in our body? Staying away from even secondhand smoke can help drop your white count about half of a point. Those that exercise also appear to have an advantage, but you don’t know if it’s cause and effect unless you put it to the test. Two months of Zumba classes—just one or two hours a week—led to about a point-and-a-half drop in white count. In fact, maybe that’s one of the reasons exercise is so “protective.” But is that just because they lost weight?

“Fitness and fatness” appear to both play a role. More than half—51.5%—of obese persons with low fitness have white counts above 6.6. But those who are more fit, or who have less fat, are less likely to be up that high. Of course, that could just be because exercisers and leaner individuals are eating healthier, eating less inflammatory diets.

How do we know excess body fat itself increases inflammation, increases the white count? You’d have to find some way to get people to lose weight without changing their diet or exercise. How’s that possible? Liposuction! If you suck about a quart of fat out of people, you can significantly drop their white count by about a point. So, maybe this should get us to rethink the so-called normal reference range for white blood cell count. Maybe we should revise it downward, like we’ve done for cholesterol and triglycerides.

Up until now, we’ve just based normal values on people that might be harboring significant background inflammatory disease. If you just restrict it to those with normal C-reactive protein, another indicator of inflammation, then instead of normal being 4.5 to 10, maybe we should instead revise it closer to 3 to 9.

Okay, but where did the healthiest populations fall—those not suffering from the ravages of chronic inflammatory diseases, like heart disease and common cancers? Populations eating diets centered around whole plant foods average about 5, whereas in the U.S., at the time, it was closer to 7 or 8. The reason we know it’s not genetic is if you take those living on traditional rural African diets, who are down around 4 or 5, and move them to Britain, they end up closer to 6, 7, or 8. Ironically, the researchers thought this was a good thing—referring to the lower white counts on the uncivilized diet as neutropenic, meaning too few white blood cells. They noted that during an infection or pregnancy, where you really do need more white cells, the white count came right up to wherever necessary. So, bone marrow of those eating traditional plant-based diets had the capacity to create as many white cells as needed but “suffers from understimulation.” They’re just not smoking enough cigarettes and eating as many inflammatory foods.

Similar findings were reported in Western plant-eaters, with an apparently stepwise drop in white count as diets got more and more plant-based. But maybe there are non-dietary factors, such as lower smoking rates, in those eating healthier? What you need are interventional trials to put it to the test. Just 21 days of removing meat, eggs, dairy, alcohol, and junk affected a significant drop in white count, even in people who started out down at 5.7.

Those that started out even higher—patients with rheumatoid arthritis starting up around 7? No change in the control group that didn’t change their diet, but a one-and-a-half point drop within one month on whole food, plant-based nutrition. That’s a 20% drop. That’s more than the drop in inflammation one might get quitting a 28-year pack-a-day smoking habit.

The most extraordinary drop I’ve seen was in a study of 35 asthmatics. After four months of a whole food, plant-based diet, their average white count dropped nearly 60%, from up around 12 down to 5, though there was no control group, and not enough patients to achieve statistical significance.

If white blood cell count is such a clear predictor of mortality, so inexpensive, and reliable, and available, why isn’t it used more often for diagnosis and prognosis? Maybe it’s a little too inexpensive. The industry seems more interested in fancy new risk factors you can bill for.

180 responses to “What Is the Ideal White Blood Cell Count?”

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WFPB is Whole Foods Plant Based. It is eating unprocessed food, mostly plant based like veggies, fruit, beans/legumes and nuts/seeds. Most who eat this way are vegan, but there are some who feel you can have less than 10% of your intake come from meat and dairy.

Nope. We don’t.
Vegans on the whole are very, very good at self education. We have to be. We get this crap from all sides and are constantly required to prove ourselves. As a result, we eat a whole foods diet just like you. We just happened to grow some compassion and ethics along with the diet. We are brains and heart!

It’s really only teenagers experimenting that eat a junk food diet and call it vegan. Anyone vegan longer than 6 months – 2 years has invested the time and effort to learn how to do this properly, longterm. There are many ethical vegans who have been so 35+ years! I’m among them. I’m here, listening and learning, just like you. No one continues that long without learning how to eat properly! We who are vegan for life do it right!
Please, before you repeat the propaganda you’re using to motivate yourself to stick with a “diet”, meet a few (dozen) who follow an ethical vegan lifestyle. Get to know us. Don’t believe this divisive nonsense. It works in no one’s favor! We can help each other, if you’d get over this crap.
By the way, ethical vegans don’t need this kind of motivation. The decision is already make for us. So, we don’t do this divisive stuff back, towards the WFPB crowd. Our compassion and ethics actually extend towards fellow humans as well. You may want to consider that before you deride what you don’t understand, again.

Wow, this reply to someone just making a comment (Debbie Binder), is the reason I sometimes cringe at the attitude on this website.
Many people here are new to even thinking about being vegan, sometimes they just have a question and get lots of thumbs down. I’m a scientist by training, and the essence of real science is to think outside the box. So to my way of thinking sincere comments, questions, should always be welcomed. A friendly tone goes a long way to helping others see your point of view.

WOW – what a negative, defensive response to the comment “Some vegans eat a lot of processed foods like fake meats.”

Well, according to the fake meat folks, business is booming:

Quote from the link: “We are doubling the business annually,” said Ethan Brown, CEO of Beyond Meat …

Why the need for the self righteous tone? Why can’t we adopt a tone of mutual respect and scientific curiosity on these boards? Many of us are exploring veganism, perhaps adopting a positive tone of attraction rather than slamming someone down would encourage more folks to educate themselves. Wow, you are a long term vegan. Tell us about it. How is your health? What positive results do you get from your dietary choices?

Even if the comment was 100% incorrect, how about engaging in a respectful dialogue about it? You know, demonstrate those ethics and compassion towards humans?

I am attempting veganism and guess what, for me it is about improving my health. I’m thrilled it also helps the environment and reduces animal cruelty but I am trying to save my life as a cancer survivor and a single parent. I want to achieve a long and healthy life if I can. Anyway, sheesh! Dial it down!!!!

Monica: I am an ethical vegan AND I am trying to eat a more whole food plant based diet at the same time (due to a family history of heart disease). I absolutely know what I SHOULD eat, and I absolutely (at times) eat vegan junk food – despite what I know – as do most of my vegan friends. So yes, I supplement B12, Vitamin D….and everything else Dr Greger recommends. I would say I know more about nutrition than most of my friends, and I would say I likely eat WAY more fruits, veggies, beans, and whole grains than the average American, however I still enjoy vegan “junk” probably more often than I should (I had a couple Oreos yesterday – delicious and “vegan”). I like vegan cupcakes, and donuts, and vegan processed meat on occasion. It’s a struggle….for many people. There are still a LOT of vegans who are junk food vegans, and that’s the bottom line; for you to say otherwise is just not true. And there is nothing wrong with being a junk food vegan….they just don’t have a focus on their own health… just like the vast majority of Americans do not think or care about what they put in their bodies and call “food”. I am however grateful that junk food vegans are they’re at least considering the animals.

I became vegan in 1987 and initially consumed a ton of soy, tofu and meat substitutes like tofu dogs. I had several tofurky’s at holiday times even though to me they taste like salty rubber. I was not completely sure what to eat. Yes i always loved salads and fruit as well. Vegans tend to love soy but i think a little is okay but not a lot. Over the years I made my own food and found the live food regimen works for me but it took a while. Unfortunately a lot of vegans DO consume lots of vegan frozen and canned foods that are quick easy and not very healthy. Take a look at the massive frozen food section in health food stores and large supermarkets, it is all about quick and convenient and nutrition disappears.I think the meat analogues are nasty but some people thrive on them and their freezer is full of them and frozen vegan pizza’s. I have learned there is a HUGE diversity of what people consume as vegans. It is not one size fits all. It ranges all the way from a live food plant-based mostly fruit diet, to those vegans who prepare their own foods and consume 50% raw, to the fast-food-frozen vegan boxed foods, soy or nut milks, etcetera that are readily available and you never have to cook. namaste’, rachel

Reiner, To my way of thinking, a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) eating pattern is a vegan diet, no animal products, that consists primarily of unprocessed whole plant foods as one’s ingredients list for meal preparation, no added refined flour, oils, salt or sugars. There are circumstances when I am traveling or dining at someone’s home where I deviate from this pattern, but I find that if you do not put it into your shopping cart, you do not put it on your dinner table.

I suppose there are those who include animal based foods in this pattern, but then again, there are those who identify as vegetarian and regularly eat chicken and fish. It does not make them bad people, but it does not lead to optimal health outcomes. The fewer animal products and more whole plant foods that one incorporates into one’s diet, the better off one’s health outcome will be. This position is supported by the sited research on NutritionFacts.org. The benefits that one derives are a continuum that extends out to 100 percent plant based.

So, to be super healthy, maximize you intake of whole plant foods, minimize animal and highly refined and processed foods, and get regular exercise.

Typically, an individual should not need to worry about any tests if you are doing 3 things: 1. taking a reliable source of vitamin B12 2. either taking a vitamin D supplement or getting sufficient sunlight year-round, and 3. getting enough omega 3 fatty acid intake via walnuts, flaxseeds, etc. or by supplement.

However, if you are concerned, just a very curious person, or like to prove to doubters how good your blood work is, it wouldn’t hurt to get these values, or a lipid panel done.

I just had a CBC done for my annual physical. I asked the doc about checking the nutrient levels for B12 and D. He told me that is standard practice. Since I had never seen these levels reported in years past, I was surprised. When the phlebotomist came in to draw blood, she had a form for me to sign if I wanted to pay 100 dollars out of pocket to check my D level. It turns out that my insurance pays for the B12, folate, calcium to be checked, but NOT the D. Needless to say I was not curious to the tune of 100 bucks!

You might want to reconsider. Many clinical studies show that a very large segment of our population is “off the chart low” on vitamin D. Keep in mind that it’s not a vitamin. Its a hormone, that signals for 200-300 genes that we know of and has over 11,000 binding sites on the human genome. Low vitamin d is associated with a vast array of diseases from many cancers through autoimmune diseases. I live in Hawaii with my two adult kids. We surf, fish, dive, run and hike….all of our vitamin d levels were “off the chart” low because we wore sun screen or shirts.

If you go to the market to buy some needed food and your insurance company won’t pay for it, do you pass?

I’ve eaten a 98% Whole Food Plant Based for about 5 years. I’m taking all the advised supplements (B12, DHA, D) and feel great but my last blood tests once again showed RBC borderline low and this time WBC also borderline low. How to I make sure these aren’t warning signals?
Thanks

Hi I’m a RN health support volunteer. Thanks for your great question. I have to wonder, is your physician concerned? Is there cause for concern or this was just a random screening test done? You said you feel great which is the most telling thing to me. It doesn’t sound like you have any clinical symptoms of anemia or leukopenia. There is a growing concern that we do too much screening of perfectly healthy people and go looking for things that might never be a problem. You’ll want to discuss this with your physician, but if you have no clinical symptoms, I’d be inclined to be far less concerned. Here is one more video Dr. Greger did on this:https://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-does-a-low-white-blood-cell-count-mean/

As the video and the research papers backing it up point out, Leukocytosis seems to be both a marker and to a lesser extent, a cause of diseases such as CVD. I’m wondering if Big Pharma is working on a drug to reduce WBC as they did with statin drugs for high cholesterol ;-)

After watching the last 2 videos, I looked back at some of my previous blood work results and sure enough, before going WFPB, my WBC ranged between 5 and 6. Now after being WFPB for four years now (as a result of this website!), the WBC ranges between 4 and 4.5.

Mine is 3.3 and I am a meat eater. Eating meat does not cause inflammation but eating inflammatory foods such as processed foods, vegetable oil, too much PUFA fat from nuts and seeds, will do. So all people can have inflammation, meat eaters or vegans.

Most of us on this site like to work with science and properly performed research if not evidence of a long-living population. There are studies that indicate people that consume nuts and seeds on a regular basis live longer and healthier lives. I do not know of any such study with those results for meat.
Although I do agree with your assessment of processed foods and “all” oils you provide no support for your opinion on meat.

My WBC has been low (1.9-3.1) for years. I just recently switched to a plant based diet. My doctor doesn’t think it is a problem. Should I be concerned and should I add something to my diet to raise this low count.

β1,3-glucans found in fungal cell walls are known immunostimulants. In some cases, like reducing post-surgical complications or increasing natural killer cell activity against cancer, this is desirable. One can have too much immune stimulation, as high intake of glucan containing Agaricus subrufescens mushroom extracts has apparently caused autoimmune hepatitis in some Japanese cancer patients (1, 2).

Herbs, as evidenced by the videos on this site, are certainly good for the body because of their powerful anti-oxidants. Mushrooms are also good for the body, again watch some videos, and likely should be consumed daily along with the herbs.

Instead of trying to fine tune your WBC count with diet you should make more of an effort to find out why your body thinks it needs more WBCs if it is high.

I’m very glad to see these videos also. My WBC ranges between 2.1 and 3.1 for years and years, and I’m healthy (exercise, WFPB diet, and so forth). My previous doctor was always shaking her head and finally sent me to a hematologist who ran more blood tests and concluded, oh well, it’s an individual thing. Nothing about it being being an indicator of the absence of inflammation, which had occurred to me.

My WBC has been flagged as low for many years now. It’s been flagged as too low when I was over weight by 50 pounds and eating a lot of sugary foods and is still flagged as low now that I’m closer to my goal weight. It’s 3.2. So for me it didn’t matter if I ate poorly or ate more healthy.

My platelet count is flagged as low at 123 , but I’m not sure what that means…… is that good to be low on as well??

Also my neutrophils are also flagged as too low …. they are 1.35 ….. hopefully they should be low too?

Dr Gregor
I always enjoy your incite and shared learning. 37 years ago in a physiology experiment we decided to look at the effect of exercise on WBC count before and after running stairs for a few minutes. The literature revealed that at least 50% of the peripheral WBC Poole is adherent to venous and arterial wall. When measuring the WBC count at rest the marginated Poole is not quantitated.
Our post exercise counts rose significantly…. I cannot recall the % of baseline counts.
Would be a fun test to compare WBC counts before and after exercising on a tread mill. Hope this sheds some light on the variability of peripheral WBC counts and factory affecting variability.
I deeply appreciate your work and sharing it. Dom Costabile DO MS FAAFP RMSKhttp://WWW.preserving-wellness.com

After having “Dangerously low wbc” for years, as described by several doctors (wbc in the 3’s), and me being confiunded and concerned for years while being a vegan athlete, this set if videos solves the puzzle and not just put me at ease, but validates my original claim I made to the doctors that “Maybe I’m not making them because I don’t need them since I’m eating right and exercising”. They all though I was crazy and one even laughed at me. Thank you for this.

Thanks Dr. G – another great, informative video. I’ve been ‘labeled’ as neutropenic for as long as I’ve been vegan/plant-based (for almost 7-years) – and has always been a cause of concern with my doc – though I have zero health problems, and am never sick. WBC are generally 2.0 – 3.5. I guess I can stop worrying about this now! :-)

EXACTLY my thoughts! I guess my intuition was right about my count being lower because my body saw that there is not need for higher counts! I haven’t been sick in years, even having a WBC in the 3 range.

I have a low WBC for at least 30 years, usually at 2.2-2.5. The only times it was higher was when I was pregnant but I also had Gestational Diabetes during
the last 6 weeks of pregnancy. That was 28 years ago, before I began eating WFPB but my WBC also didn’t go any lower once I started eating that way.
Kinda curious. I am also wondering if other people with these lower levels(in the 2’s) experience longer recovery times after exercising as I do. Wondering if
there is a corralation between low WBC and the ability of the muscles to recover within a “normal” timeframe.

Hi Catherine,
Do you remember about your neutrophils levels? During this year my WBC were around 2.5 and neutrophils 0.46. I haven’t been sick or tired and I do exercise every day. I am vegan for more than one year.
Regards.

I understand that having lower WBC is indicative of lower disease but half the foods we eat increase production – such as citrus, red bell peppers, broccoli, garlic, ginger, spinach, almonds, turmeric, green tea, papaya, kiwi and sunflower seeds. I eat most of these every day as part of the daily dozen. I have other lab work I’m still struggling to get into a healthy range five years into eating whole food, plant based. I’m strict with my eating and make almost everything myself. I also have some long-term medical issues and treatments that take me out of the “normal range” for a lot of things. My last WBC was 8 six months ago and has never gotten lower than 6.5 in the five years since changing my eating. I’m wondering if I should forego some of the mentioned foods as maybe I’m overdoing it.

My weight is great, I’m off all but one medication, I’m exercising and feel great. And I have no plans to change what I’m doing, just gets frustrating when you don’t see the results that others do.

Brenda, I am a volunteer moderator at the website. I am very impressed by your change of diet towards whole food plant based by learning from Dr Greger with all the great information he provides us on this website. You have managed to use food as medicine and bringing down the number of medications that is great. I think you might be too hard on yourself and not see the good changes that is happened for you. Well, done and keep up the good work.

I am greatly relieved by this and the prior video on WBCs. My count has been between 2.6 and 3.2 for the past 20 years and it always worried me. Interestingly, I was visiting my 92 year old dad recently and he had just had his labs drawn. His WBC count was 2.7. His LDL cholesterol, like mine, is on the high side even though I eat plant-based and he eats very little animal products. Seems to me there is a genetic component here.

Thank you for the wonderful information. I’m a leukemia survivor, last treatment in Dec and wanting to ensure my wbc is in a good range. I’ve also been taking something holistic to ensure reducing inflammation, if anyone is interested let me know

Hi Gis Donovan, Thank you for your comment. I am one of the volunteer moderators on the site. I like to say well done with being leukemia survivor! I am interested to hear your story and how your body healed itself. Keep up the good work and yes I am also thankful to Dr Greger for all the hard work he does to help us all taking better care of our health.

Hello! Thank you for your reply. I was diagnosed last August with Leukemia, it was very aggressive and came on quickly. I spent 30 days in the hospital initially then every month would go back for a week of treatment until Christmas. I went into remission and halfway through chemo a nurse friend of mine introduced me to these concentrated fruit/vegetable capsules (food not a supplement). Doctor told me that the more chemo I had the worse my side effects would be and probably last longer also. In end of December I had very minimum side effects and they didn’t last long. I continued to improve quickly. Every time within the last 6 months my blood markers have improved. In February I began eating more plants and have continued on the capsules. They provide me with an enormous amount of antioxidants and phytonutrients. I’m grateful for the added nutrition even though my diet is green and clean!

Thank you for the wonderful information. I’m a leukemia survivor, last treatment in Dec and wanting to ensure my wbc is in a good range. I’ve also been taking something holistic to ensure reducing inflammation, if anyone is interested let me know

Hi David Hanson, Thanks for your question. I am one of the volunteer moderators at the site. Yes he did indicate that At the moment the normal range is 4-10 but he was also pointing out that this normal range may be based on people that might be harboring inflammation already and he was saying may be it could be revised and be between 3-9.
If you look in the transcript you can see that. I hope that is helpful.

This is as always a great video. There are exceptions to all rules. My dad whom had a white blood count of 13.0 thousand hardly ever took ill. Never had a heart attack, and lived until 97. I am his son, and am 75 years old, with a white blood count of 13.6 thousand. I never get sick, my HDL/LDL counts are so good that my doctor tells me he wishes he had my numbers. I have not used tobacco in 42 years, I do not drink hard liquor. Only drink dry red wine with dinner. Hardly ever have any red meats. I go to the gym for an hour, 7 days per week, am not overweight at all. I eat 2-3 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables each day. Have generally 2-4 BMs per day, without any problem. Sooo, a high white blood court at least in my case, is apparently genetic and I expect to live probably over the age of 100 in good health, with such a high white blood count, that most doctors would not understand the reason why I am in such good health.

Thank you Allen Cohen for posting. i was beginning to get a complex since my White blood count is the ONLY result that mars an ideal set of results. I measure 11.1 but the doc said nothing about it so should I worry. I am WFPB for 7 years at 75 and lead the same sort of life you do. No medication, no illnesses. I think it goes to show that you should only have screening and blood tests if you feel ill. Otherwise you tend to worry about the almighty numbers.

I’ve had leukopenia my whole life and I do not see I have to fight infections more than other people. When an infection comes, my number of leukocytes rises up to normal and fights the infection. My Leukocytic formula has always had disturbed values.
What about this sort of low white blood cells ?

The video is good to explain about the good thing about low WBC, something that my doctor cannot explain. And also the correlation between WBC and inflammation.

But what is wrong as usual is to use the theory to trash animal foods which is totally wrong. My WBC is 3.2 despite me being an a meat eater. In another word, inflammation has nothing to do with meat eating and it can happen to vegans as well who eat let say vegetable oil, or a diet full of PUFA fat, or sugar.

I have high White blood cell count, also my bones are clicking and my calcium has come back under along with Vitamin D.

The question i have is, calcium supplements are bad but is a wholefood supplement bad e.g. “Garden of Life mykind Calcium” the same or is that fine.
As i feel i need to take as my bones feel really weak and clicky.

Please reply any help appreciated

Side note: Do i need to take with Vitamin K2 etc

I follow a vegan diet (Lots of oats fruit and starch and beans) and IF 17 Hour Fast, 7 Eating Window.

Hello Paul, I too experienced bone pain among many other things before and after chemotherapy. In the last 8 months I’ve been taking these concentrated food capsules, 30 different fruits and vegetables, no sugar just antioxidants & phytonutrients and there are 36 scientific studies performed that have been published in medical journals to support the benefits. A nurse introduced me to them and I’ve never been so grateful. It’s food not a supplement. A couple of months ago I partnered with the company to share my own experience and possibly help others along the way. If you look at my website it has information on the clinical research and videos of doctors who support whole food nutrition and what they think. Good luck to you!

I hope I didnt give the impression that I (and Im sure many many others !) didnt appreciate hearing of your experience and successful journey to health. I surely did ! Congratulations are in order, and thank you for sharing what worked for you.

Further, scientists are looking into the benefits of strontium for osteoarthritis because researchers hypothesize that strontium might also improve cartilage metabolism; additionally there may be protection against dental caries since 10 percent of subjects that had no dental carries in a 10-year study sponsored by the U.S. Navy resided in a small town that had unusually high levels of strontium in the municipal water supply.

It is my clinical opinion that strontium citrate is absorbed better than the other forms of this mineral.

Remember that strontium is very closely related to calcium. They both utilize the same carrier protein for transport. Calcium will win this tug of war effortlessly. The take home message is to take strontium 4 hours away from calcium (preferably other minerals as well) before bed. Currently, I dose strontium at 681mg in one dose prior to bed (each strontium citrate capsule contains 227mg of pure strontium citrate = 3 capsules) on an empty stomach (defined as 2 hours after a meal).

“We think it’s important to reinforce the fact that osteoporosis is not just a woman’s disease,” said Rozental. Studies have shown that men have twice the mortality rate of women both during initial hospitalization and in the year following a hip fracture. Survival rates following a wrist fracture, the number-one upper extremity fracture in older adults, also are lower among men.

no link

There are considerable variations in the quality of drinking water in Norway. The researchers studied variations in magnesium and calcium levels in drinking water between different areas, as these are assumed to have a role in the development of bone strength. They wanted to examine whether there was a correlation between magnesium and calcium concentrations in drinking water and the incidence of hip fracture.

The study results show that magnesium protects against hip fracture for both men and women. The researchers found no independent protective effect of calcium.

“Treating men for bone fractures, but not the underlying cause, places them at a greater risk for future bone breaks and related complications,” said Rozental. “The results of this study lead us to suggest that men over the age of 50 with fractures of the distal radius should undergo further clinical assessment and bone density testing to better identify those at high risk for future fracture as well as those who would benefit from further treatment.”

They looked at 227 men and women 60 years or older. They used MRI scans to determine the total amount of brain lesions each person had. Then they correlated the results with calcium supplements. The results are scary.

The results “revealed that supplement users had greater lesion volumes than non-users.” And this was true regardless of calcium intake from food, age, sex, race, years of education, depression, and even hypertension.

In fact, the researchers stated, “The influence of supplemental calcium use on lesion volume was of a magnitude similar to that of the influence of hypertension, a well-established risk factor for lesions.” What they are saying is that as bad as having high blood pressure is for your brain, calcium supplements seem to be every bit as bad! Once again in their own words, “The present study demonstrates that the use of calcium-containing dietary supplements, even low-dose supplements, by older adults may be associated with greater [brain] lesion volumes.”

Hopefully this study will put the final nails in the coffin of calcium supplements for bone health. That said, I have to also say that there is a place for calcium supplements. On a daily basis, taking 500 mg or less per day is fine for general health. Taking more than that should be reserved for when there is a medical reason for them.

TG posted this in the comments on 1-21-18:
“In 1994, based on its investigation of several extremely serious complaints from his patients and their loved ones, the Medical Board of California found that Dr. Frank A. Shallenberger was subject to multiple disciplinary actions due to “gross incompetence,” “repeated acts of gross negligence,” and “acts of dishonesty and corruption which are substantially related to the qualifications, functions, or duties of a physician and surgeon.” In response, Dr. Shallenberger chose not to contest the Board’s findings, but to surrender his license to practice medicine in the state of California.”http://faculty.uml.edu/sgallagher/california_medical_board_case_ag.htm

Liisa, thank you for this info. However, what Dr. Shallenberger says about calcium supplementation and brain lesions is accurate. Also his comments about supplementing magnesium for osteoporosis.
As far as strontium is concerned, I know certain types of strontium are being used in Europe to increase bone density. They use it instead of the pharmaceuticals like Boniva etc. The pharmaceuticals work by decreasing osteoclasts, but over time, that means defective bone is not being replaced. That’s when the person walks down the street and their femur breaks.

I appreciate your heads-up, but I don’t believe anything I read without doing my own research. Fortunately, I can access a lot of info not widely available.

A WFPB diet is best for osteoporosis because a lot of the cause seems to be excess protein consumption which causes the body to dump calcium to process it. WFPB also includes healthy sources of calcium like leafy greens, and hopefully boron and enough magnesium. Although I do think that needs to be supplemented in places where the soil and water do not have enough.
Of course lifestyle plays a huge role. Muscle pulling on bone strengths the bone. As Dr. Gregor said “oyou gotta move”.
I love those videos where he is on the treadmill!
Thanks again Liisa.

I’ve been told that the clicking which sounds like bones is actually ligaments. I used to have that, too, but it went away after changing my diet. I have to admit I can’t remember the details. Perhaps one of the doctors who reads this discussion will speak up.

Green leaves provide the calcium you’re concerned about far better than any supplement, because it is balanced with magnesium and other minerals. When we get too much calcium from supplements the excess can be deposited in your arteries – not what you want! If you follow Dr G’s Daily Dozen you’ll see he wants us all to be eating lots of green veggies. It’s easy to steam or boil a few leaves of kale, chard, collards, or spinach, or use frozen ones, or chop them and eat them in salads. Populations with healthy bones in old age get far less calcium than most Americans think they need, but they get it from food, especially green leafy veggies.

Dr Michael Klaper has an excellent video on Youtube about bone health. But with a house full of company coming in today to celebrate my husband’s 80th birthday I don’t have time to find it. However, it is worth seeking and watching.

I have been vegan for 10 years. I have a white cell count of 3.6, Platelets 146 and Neutrophils 1.8. My levels were similar with annual check up a year ago. Does the study also relate to having lower Platelets and Neutrophils?

Love these important videos focusing on basics. Inflammation is the key- always was. It’s truly amazing how few people never ever do a full and long term dietary test on themselves, and so they remain forever confused as how to control their short term and long term health. It all begins and ends with what you put in your mouth on a daily basis. For years, decades and forever. It is all so simple to be 100% healthy and prevent or reverse the major chronic killers in our physically poor society.

I have been a vegan for 7 years now and my WBC count has been 4-5 eating mostly raw very low fat, very little grains until this year it jumped up to almost 8 when I started introducing grains and less raw food and occasional “junk” by going out to vegan restaurants. What a difference! Going back to fruit, potatoes and veggies!

I have listened to all of your podcasts and have your book, but there is one question that I am still not clear on. What do you think of the ketogenic diet for cancer? I did a google search, and yesterday listened to Chris Kresser’s podcast on the same subject. The problem is that there are so many different opinoins out there. Thanks for all your hard work!

Hello Marla! Unfortunately, Dr. Greger is unable to answer most of the questions posted here, however, we do have an amazing team
of volunteer doctors, nurses, and dietitians who answer questions. I have forwarded your question to them.
Please note that we don’t have enough volunteers to get all questions answered, so an answer is not guaranteed.

I look at Chris’s site occasionally but only for entertainment. The blogs there generally reflect all the misinformation on the planet.

If you seek long term health you should monitor Drs Greger, Fuhrman, Esselstyn, Ornish and McDougall to name a few and forget about the Paleo, low-carb, high fat, magical oils suggestions likely supported by some industry like dairy, eggs or meat.

Marla, This is just my little observation. I had an aggressive non-hormone-connected breast cancer seven years ago, when I was 67. Over the years I’ve met many other breast cancer patients, but only two others with the same triple negative cancer. Both of those women were much younger than me – one in her mid 30s – and both went on a ketogenic diet. Neither survived more than about two years after diagnosis.

I learned about WFPB from reading The China Study, followed by many more books and websites. It was quite clear to me that my cancer came on quite strongly following two years of eating only pastured beef, chicken, eggs, and dairy along with organic veggies and fruit. When I found the tumor it was quite large, yet it had not been detectable a year earlier. In addressing the cancer, I first ate a raw vegan diet, had many alternative treatments along with an alternative form of chemo, and the tumor subsided almost to nothing. But when I added cheese the tumor grew back FAST. I now eat no animal protein, eat WFPB, and I’m healthy and thriving seven years after the original diagnosis.

Please re-watch Dr G’s videos and the many other plant based doctors on Youtube talking about how animal protein stimulates growth through MTOR and insulin-like growth factor. When you see how readily animal protein stimulates the growth of cancer, you’ll see that the ketogenic diet, with a lot of animal protein and saturated fats, and few antioxidants and the myriad other benefits of berries, fruits, nuts, seeds, is NOT an anti cancer diet. The science definitely backs this up.

Hi this is Dr. Sozanski, PhD PScD of Natural Medicine in Atlanta GA and Moderator of Nutritionfacts.org. In regards to your question I went and selected randomly a site listing the elements of the ketogenic diet https://ketodietapp.com/Blog/post/2015/01/03/Keto-Diet-Food-List-What-to-Eat-and-Avoid, where all the Eat freely, Eat sparingly or Avoid foods were listed; based on that particular classification, the first paragraph under Eat freely listed grass fed meet, wild caught fish and seafood, pastured pork and poultry and eggs, also saturated fats such as butter, ghee etc.
Just from reading this section, I will be able to refer you to some of Dr. Greger’s videos related to the connection between animal foods and cancer: https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer/. Where would I even start in recommending the videos, from those talking about IGF-1 found in animal foods and its role in multiple cancer growth and proliferation mechanisms, to those on New5Gc, the inflammatory molecule also found in animal foods. The material goes on and on, please see for yourself.
I hope this helps. Have a great day.

Hello Spencer here,
I’m new to the comment section of this website but I’ve been having some conflicting thoughts. This is very off topic of the video published here but I’ve been vegan for about a year and half, eating more whole food lately, and I’ve been thinking about calories. I’m a tall man and my BMR is about 2000. On a whole food plant based diet this is hard to achieve for me and feel full and satisfied with about 1600-1800 calories a day. I know this seems like a small issue but is this an issue at all? I don’t want to lose weight or become malnourished or something lol. But I’ve been obsessing about it lately and I don’t know what to think about calories.

I doubt that you are at your perfect weight so I do not know why you fear losing some. Check out the BMI of the traditional Okinawans, the longest-living population in the world and you likely can shed a few BMI points.

As you age you are going lose muscle and strength so you need to concentrate on resistance training in moderation but consistently.

If you are really concerned with the calories you can increase nuts, seeds and avocado which you should already be consuming on a regular basis.

Thank you for your response Whollyplantfoods. Lately it’s been me getting bloated or “way to full” trying to meet my caloric intake. I’m sure it’s just my gut getting use to extra fiber but I’ll definitely listen to my body, I’m sure I don’t need to be to worry about calories and my body will adjust accordingly. Calories just always been something that kind of concerned me but I’m sure it’s mostly a psychological challenge to reach this ,”institutionally made”, caloric intake. I do wish Dr. Gregor touched on this in a video because I do know from his book that vegan/vegetarian’s burn more calories, I think the figure was 11% more than omnivores, but does this BMR figure of daily calories burn at resting and 2,000 calorie need have any relevance to us whole plant food eaters?

I heard Dr Gregor mention he was going to put on a WEBINAR ABOUT FASTING in the last live Q&A session on YouTube. I am desperate to find more info (like when, where & how much) but cannot find any hear & have no other way of finding out so any Info would be greatly appreciated.
thanks

Dr Goldhamer at TrueNorth Health Center in Santa Rosa, CA has had a clinic treating and curing people with medically supervised fasting or a whole foods plant based diet for over 30 years. He probably knows more about fasting than anybody in this country. He will respond if you email him. Here is his website: http://www.healthpromoting.com/water-fasting.

Right now dates and times are not set for that future webinar. Make sure you are subscribed to receive the monthly news letter and e-mailed updates. That way you will receive the information when it is released.

Hi this is Dr. Daniela Sozanski PhD, PScD out of Sandy Springs, GA and moderator for nutritionfacts.org; indeed severe allergies triggering an immune system response could be the cause of increased WBC count in your blood. Please see the mayo clinic article: http://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/high-white-blood-cell-count/basics/causes/sym-20050611; in regards to your WFBD and existing allergies and mild asthma, in addition to environmental allergies, I would also like to rule out food allergies, as, (while plant foods tend to be less allergenic than animal foods), there can be serious plant offenders out there, two examples, citrus and the night shade families. An elimination diet, together with a re-introduction challenge diet, maybe with the help of a health professional, may help relieve some of these issues.

Thanks for the reply Daniela. I’ll check out the Mayo Clinic article. Is it possible to have an elevated WBC, like 8 and not have inflammation? In other words, is a higher WBC causal or is it just correlated to inflammation? The reason I ask is that I also had a Sedimentation Rate Test that indicated that I had low inflammation. My sedimentation rate was 1mm/hour. Thanks.

Hi, Richard Thanks for your question. I am one of the volunteer moderators at the site. About your question if Allergy increase white blood cells. I would say yes, Mast cells and basophils are key effector cells for IgE-dependent allergic inflammatory reactions (1). Upon activation, these cells secrete preformed proinflammatory chemical mediators (e.g., histamine, proteases, proteoglycans, and nucleotides) as well as de novo synthesized lipids (e.g., leukotrienes and prostaglandins) and polypeptides (e.g., cytokines and chemokines). These substances lead to the development of allergic inflammation. I hope this is helpful to you.

My WBC hit 2.0 after a 1-2 month low calorie diet (it’s normally around 3.0). After resuming a generous amount a calories, it went up to 4.0. Does the ‘fasting’ period explain the low WBC in that case? Was 2.0 ‘too low’ at the time? My doc was so worried that he sent me to a hematologist.

My white blood cells count is 2.9 and I was sure that was an indicator of sickness. Have been on a plant-based diet for almost 4 years now and I feel way better than when I was much younger. This video is putting to rest those scary thoughts I had. Why have I not been told that by my doctor in the first place is beyond me. Thanks Dr. Greger for all these informational videos you are doing for us mere mortals. :)

There is a semantic distinction to be made. The principle paper for this video addressed the higher disease incidence of people with “high” WBC counts–which I take to mean out of range–i.e., > 10(000).

Dr. Greger frames the distinction in terms of people with “higher” WBC counts–which could mean anything. It could mean ‘higher’ than the recommended range–which I now infer is 3-9(000), reduced from 4-10(000). Or it could simply mean higher than some other ‘normal’ reading between 3 and 9.

Would a WBC count of 8 be worse (indicate a greater chance of disease) than, say, 4, or even 3? Can you be too low?

I gather from the video that lower is better, and that WBC status is similar to cholesterol and blood pressure in this way. That is, a BP of 100/60 is “better” than 120/80 (or 140/90 for those over 60); a TC of 120 is “better” than 150, which in turn is better than 190 (still considered ‘optimal’ by the AHA). For fasting blood glucose the situation may be the same–i.e., that lower (e.g. 70) would be better than (100–borderline prediabetic), which is still better than 120. With Uric Acid, Dr. Greger indicated that higher is better until you reach the threshold around 7.0 (or was it 8.0?).

It would be nice in general to know the rule of thumb on these measures, so that we might take remedial steps thru diet and exercise to adjust them. But I suspect that they’re only rules of thumb, and don’t apply to all individuals…so we shouldn’t take them too seriously.

Hi!
I would like Michael to read this, and if he want’s – respond to my mail-adress in the end of this letter :-)

Hello Michael!

My name is Stefan. I live in Gothenburg, Sweden. A friend of mine recommended to me your book “How not to die”. Im really into the healthy lifestyle and taking care of my body the best way I can so I bought your book the following day and started reading immediately.

What an amazing piece of art! I enjoyed every second of it and it confirmed very much of what I already knew about the importance of eating the right food. But it also gave me lot’s of new knowledge and perspectives. Im not saying I’m going all vegetarian or vegan but it inspired me so nowadays I at least try staying away from all animalfood like twice a week :)

Why I contact you in the first place is bacause since about 4 years ago I’ve been making my very own special 1000ml smoothie basically every morning. In the beginning it only contained about 5-7 different ingredients. But as timed moved on and I started learning and studying even more about nutrition, I started adding up new things constantly. The last 3 years my smoothie has consisted of about 15-20 different ingredients. Nowadays it’s more of a 20-25.

If it tastes good? Hell yeah it does! Therefor, what I would like to suggest and do is having a full body scan and also test all my bloodvalues etcetera and share with you my results. Im quite curious about how my body responds to this cocktail of supernutritions that i keep on adding every day, every week, every year.

A couple of weeks ago I visited a Fitnessexpo and did some kind of “bodyscan” to detect overall fat mass in my body. From a gradescale of 1-15 where 1 is the best and 15 is the worst I scored a 2. I got credit for that. The interesting thing about this is I’ve been basically physically inactive the past 4 months due to an servere accident where I broke my collarbone right of into serveral pieces and had to have surgery and then staying in bed for 1 month without even walking. I’ve just been able to carefully start working out in the gym again. I still can’t run.

With that in mind I know that my values probably where, and also can get – even better beyond. I’m currently 1,88cm tall, turning 30 years old this autumn and weights about 77kg. I saw that you are visiting Stockholm in Sweden the 2nd of October this year. It would be such an honor to meet you Michael! I for sure would like to offer you a full glass of “StefansSuperSmoothie”!

Please write me back what you think about my proposal. I want to contribute to your research about health and food and hope to hear from you soon! :)
My mailadress is: stefan.abrahamsson87@gmail.com

You’re clearly working hard on your health and it sounds like you’re getting great results. I’d also like to compliment you on your English. I wish I knew a little Swedish, but I’m sorry to say I don’t, even though my husband’s mother was Swedish.

You now need to add one more item to your smoothie. A little black pepper will enhance your ability to absorb the nutrients from the turmeric considerably.

For me, this video and discussion, have raised more questions than they answer. As we know, there are different kinds of white blood cells. Maybe the problem is only when certain types are raised? People with allergies tend to have eosinophils raised, and so have a higher total count. Is this a problem also? Sure would like someone to tackle the issue of which types are the problem.

I love the information on this site but I only ever read the articles. When I’m on my phone, I’m typically in a place where I cannot listen to a video. Please consider making all of your information readable! Thank you! :)

If you’ll look below the video you’ll see a line that says View Transcript.
You can go there to read the message on the video. The charts and graphs won’t be there, but you’ll still be able to learn what the video shows.

now I’m confused.. ! where does this leave nutritional yeast, the B12 superfood & it’s “modulation of the immune system” – the idea that it’s amazing due to its ability to increase white blood cells count, (diminishing both susceptibility & or severity to infection) whilst simultaneously decreasing inflammation..? any theories would be good.. (- I’m gonna packing it away anyhu as I can’t get enough of the stuff mind..! :) :)

I really, really would like to see a single study that truly isolates meat in general and its the role (or lack of) in inflammation. I feel it’s never clear b/c of multiple variables. The problem is that all these studies lump all meat eaters into the same group. That means that someone like me, who eats all kinds of organic vegetables, greens, “superfoods”, AND grass fed meat on the regular, 2-3 eggs almost every single day…and avoids additives, is placed in the same group as an average meateater– who eats deep fried fast food raised inhumanely, tortured, fed an unnatural diet, and processed, doused with additives. When differences between this group and vegetarians are pointed out, meat is always assumed the culprit and contributor to heart disease (and other disease). I wish Micheal Greger or others could comment on this.. Why has no one worked this question out properly in studies?. (my WBC is currently 4.8. It has always been low. I have never been overweight except while pregnant. My cholesterol is normal– I repeat, 2-3 eggs almost daily for the past 15 years–otherwise, my diet resembles what is recommended here)

I also eat lean meats, but not picky on grass fed. Only ground turkey, 93% lean ground beef and chicken breasts. Whey protein isolate shakes 2-3 times a day and 4 eggs daily. No dairy (except whey protein), no grains, no legumes, no sugar. Cholesterol 141 and WBC 3.7. Also a very heavy exerciser. I would LOVE to see studies based on this diet (I call it modified Paleo)

Hi Julie, that is an awful lot of protein a day. Very high amounts of methionine. You may want to look at the studies of methionine raising mTOR.
The latest studies are showing that the thing about calorie restriction that results in decreased morbidity ( less time spent with active disease), and increased longevity, is related to decreased mTOR.
Exercise alone, will not fix the damage done.
Very likely, one of the big reasons for vegetarians health and longevity, as shown in the studies of 7th Day Adventists etc., is lower protein, particularly methionine intake.

I feel sorry for your kidneys being destroyed by all that animal protein.
It reminds me of my patients that say “but I smoke ORGANIC tobacco”.

The studies have been done…over and over with the same results. There is zero evidence or any physiological basis that combining all that animal protein would result in a more favorable outcome. Like combining asbestos and tobacco would never reduce cancer risk.

wow
this is a huge surprise for me
i try for very long time to increase my low white blood count
without any success
and until now, I didn’t figured why ,
after all i eat WFPBD
i never thought it may be a good sign
you opened my eyes

As one of the moderators on this site, I’d say you are fortunate to have a wise uncle for your doctor and go with what he’s telling you that that WBC of 2.5 is indeed okay and healthy for you if you’ve no symptoms or indications of problems. Enjoy your health and hopefully keep eating a healthy plant-based diet.

I just received blood test results from a study I participated in. They flagged my WBC as being too low: 4.1, where their range is 4.5-11.0 K/MM3. If I use the new revised down range, however, there are no problems at all.

Just as a side note, I do eat meat, but I make sure I have at least 1 vegan meal per day, I eat lots of vegetables, and I have completely cut out all dairy. Also, I get at least 30 minutes a day of intense exercise.

I’m not referencing anything from 2012. I’ve posted an answer to this question in another thread, that’s what this link is. This question has been asked many times on other threads, which I’ve answered, but don’t want to spam the entire website with my copy/pasted answer.

My WBC always used to be between 4 and 5. For the first time, it showed as 3.6 which made it lower than the “Normal Range” on the report. It made me panic a bit about an autoimmune disease or leukemia. Can someone please advise.

Hello! I have been a whole foods plant based eater for 7.5 years now. Recently, I received my once a year physical blood work results. Everything looked awesome EXCEPT for my white blood cell count. It was a 2.5. I was told I will need to repeat the blood work in 6 weeks to see what is “wrong”. I have reviewed every bit of information here for some clues at to what’s going, but nothing refers to a count THIS low. Any thoughts or places I could look for some answers? I appreciate any leads on the subject. Thank you!!!
Jen :D

It seems that the ideal value could be around 3-9, with plant based eaters averaging 5. I am not a medical doctor and neither I have the capacity to evaluate your situation, however, according to NIH “When the body has too few neutrophils, the condition is called neutropenia. This makes it harder for the body to fight off pathogens. As a result the person is more likely to get sick from infections.”

Hi, my WBC count is currently 2.7. This has been a very slow steady decline since 2012-2013, when I started incorporating more fruits and veggies in my diet, slowly converting to more whole food plant based. Then in 2015 I started taking pulverized raw fruits and veggies and berries in a capsule. I’ve seen so many health improvements too numerous to list here. My WBC’s back then (2012-13) averaged around 3.5 or so. I exercise regularly too. My BMi is 19. I have energy, and hardly ever get sick. I am a bit concerned though about a white count this low. Is this normal?

I’m a 32 year old overall healthy female who just got her test results back of a WBC of 2.3 – is this alarming? I’m not a vegan and I do eat burgers occasionally. I used to be a bit anemic when I was younger. Is that why they’re low? My count was 3.8 last year. I’m worried. Seems like I don’t fall into any category. My doctor wants me to retake the test.

Of course getting lab results that indicate possible abnormality can be alarming but I’ll encourage you not to worry, Joelle, unless you start to have symptoms which I assume you are not. Even if your retest shows similar levels that may be no cause for concern. . I would not look towards your earlier history of anemia, but perhaps just the fact that you are now eating differently than most carnivores. Read this article http://jacknorrisrd.com/white-blood-cells-in-vegans/ that could shed some light on why your WBD may be lower than average- and how it may be perfectly healthy for you.

When white blood cell counts (WBCS) tend to reflect the level of inflammation and/or pathogens present in our body. That’s why when individuals get a cold or are pregnant, when we need more of an immune system boost, our body starts producing more WBC’s, and our levels go up. It seems that our body doesn’t need the very high levels of WBC’s seen in Western countries to ward off illness. Of course, having a really low of WBC’s wouldn’t be good, but that is usually the sign of a condition that should be discussed with a doctor.

I’m doing some research for myself here. I’ve been WFPB for about 6 months, transitioned from being dairy-free pescatarian. I have been feeling great and had many health improvements. I supposedly have 4-5 autoimmune conditions, but I have very few symptoms any more. My recent WBC results showed 2.68 as my level. The nurse practitioner I go to didn’t really say much about it and I only noticed it after my appointment when I requested a copy of my labs. I have had a lot of stress the past few years, so it could be why it was low recently. I’d like to think my immune system is doing great. I haven’t had an upper respiratory infection in about 2-3 years. I’m finding myself questioning the ranges and “normals” for many things like this.

I enjoyed the video but the title is misleading. I’m trying to find out why my white blood cell count is ‘Below’ normal. It’s 3.7 and over the years it is always ‘below normal’. Does the Doctor have any info on what causes the blood cell count to be ‘below’ normal?

As a background – I’ve never smoked and am rarely in a smoking environment. I don’t eat a Lot of fatty, sugary, or high carb foods, But, I do eat some on occasions.

Hi Denise – I have the exact same issue. I’ve had low white blood count for 8 years. My doctor once sent me to a hematologist but nothing was found. I’d love to hear what the doctor has to say about this as well.
Best!

Denise, It’s good you keep track of your lab values, but in this case you may be focusing too much on the number. As Dr. Greger points out “This whole concept of the risks of being normal in a sick society is explored further in my video When Low-Risk Means High-Risk.” If you haven’t watched this video, please check it out. . You may also be reassured looking at the comments of others who also are feeling healthy, eating well and still fall short of that arbitrary number of 4.0 for “normal” white blood count. Bottom line, be aware that a low white blood count CAN indicate a health problem if it suddenly takes a nose dive or you are dealing with other symptoms but other than that keep up your healthy habits of not smoking and eating a wfpb diet and of course monitor all your blood test results when they seriously fall below recommended normal values.

Hi Denise – I have the exact same issue. I’ve had low white blood count for 8 years. My doctor once sent me to a hematologist but nothing was found. I’d love to hear what the doctor has to say about this as well.
Best!

This was so helpful! A few years ago my doctor was concerned with my white blood cell count after I had blood drawn for my annual physical, so she referred me to a hematologist at a cancer center. Fortunately, I’d saved results from several years of blood tests (from regular physicals) and took those with me. They showed that my low WBC count wasn’t anything new. In addition, I’d never experienced any immune problems by having a low WBC count: I’d get one cold (if that) a year. So the hematologist told me that we’d just wait and watch. And my good health didn’t change, so I never went back to him. I subsequently moved and switched GPs. Now when I go for my annual physical, I tell my doctor that my WBC count will be low but it’s nothing to worry about.

I find it disturbing that my other GP referred me to a cancer center (which, even though I didn’t think anything was wrong, is still scary), yet she likely doesn’t tell her patients with “normal” WBC counts that they may be suffering from inflammation–she likely doesn’t even know that WBC counts should really be lower.

Hi,
It seems as though this information is relevant to adults, but I’m wondering if this is also true for children? My daughter (just turned 2) recently had blood work for her annual visit. I was told everything was normal except her WBC was low (4). Last year her WBC was also low (maybe 3.9) but she had just gotten over a cold. They re-did it a few weeks later and I was told it had increased (not sure if in the normal range b/c I didn’t get a copy). Her pediatrician wants to have blood drawn again in 6 months. My husband and I have been vegan (occasional junk food) for about 9 years. My daughter fully weaned about 1.5 months ago and probably eats even better than the rest of our family. She gets sick as much or less than her older brother. I don’t want to be concerned, but it’s hard not to worry. I guess I’m just looking for some reassurance. Thanks

Hi I’m a health support volunteer with nutritionfacts.org. Is your daughter eating a whole food plant based diet? White blood cell counts increase in response to inflammation. Whole food plant based diets are anti-inflammatory so the thought is, you have less inflammation and thus form less white blood cells. They can also decrease if they’ve been fighting a virus or from certain cancers and other conditions. I think that is why Drs. become concerned and don’t want to just assume it is from a healthy diet. They are more used to seeing patients with unhealthy diets in the west. I’m sorry I couldn’t find anything specific on children and plant based diets and white blood cell counts for you. I suspect, it would be the same mechanism. There is no real harm with getting her blood redrawn.
If you are trying to raise whole food plant based children, be encouraged there is grown recommendations for this. You might like this article about it:https://www.forksoverknives.com/diet-children-and-the-future/#gs._9aaFQ4

Thanks for your response and the article link. Yes, she is eating a whole food plant based diet (occasional junk food treat). Her wbc seems to have been “low” since her 1 year check up (she’s now 2). We had to have it redrawn last year too. If it were due to something serious, would I have noticed symptoms by now (other than just wbc)?
We will have it redrawn, but I worry it’s not going to be any higher.
I just hate the constant worry of thinking something might be wrong with her. :(
I was hoping there might be other wfpb parents with similar stories.

Thank you so much for this informative and enlightening video! I live a super healthy lifestyle because that is what makes me happy and feel really good. I have worked out intensely almost every day since my late teens, I am now a 50 year old woman and I still have the ripped abs I have had all my life and my weight is the same as it was in my 20’s. I never drink alcohol, smoke or take anything more than the occasional Advil. I am not vegan, I eat some meat (approx. 4-6 oz) every day because I love meat, but I also eat vegetables, nuts and fruit every day. I almost never eat sugar or processed foods, and very few starchy carbs. I fast almost every day for around 14-16 hours and I don’t stuff myself, I eat just until I’m satisfied. I feel great with plenty of energy, just trying to give you an idea of my lifestyle. So imagine my surprise and concern when my bloodwork almost always came back low in the white blood cell count. Last test was 3.4, before that was 3.2. I think only once or twice over the last ten years it was in the “normal” range, and one of those times was when I wasn’t feeling well. Even though my doctor never seemed overly concerned because it was not super low, I was always very worried because it was out of the “normal” range and everything else was within range. I thought I had some undiagnosed disease! In my hypochondriac panic after yet another lab report of low WBC’s, I started to Google “low white blood cell count” and after coming across all these horrible possible conditions, I found this video. Thank you Dr. Greger!!! I can finally stop worrying. Good habits are as easy to maintain as bad ones, you just have to make the decision to make the good habits in the first place. :)

This was such GOOD news, but my red blood cell count is low as well. I looked for videos in regard to that but don’t see any, could you please tell me where I can find info on the ideal RED blood cell count??
Thank you all who work with Dr. Greger for providing such needed news!!

I am a family doctor with a private practice in lifestyle medicine, and a volunteer for this website. The answer to “What is the ideal red blood cell count?” is that it depends…. I would want to know more about you, e.g. are you still menstruating?, do you have anemia or any other medical conditions (such as hemochromatosis, kidney disease, red blood cell diseases such as hemophilia)? Also, FYI, doctors use a several other blood tests to evaluate for possible anemia besides the RBC count: hematocrit (measures the percent of total blood volume comprised of RBCs), hemoglobin concentration, blood iron level, ferritin level. The hematocrit is probably the most widely used measure to quantify anemia. Normal for women is usually 35-47%.

Dr. Jon, I thank you so much for responding. I am 57 and no longer menstruating. My last bloodwork showed WBC-4.04,RBC-3.87,Hematocrit-36.2 and Hemoglobin-11.9. My ferritin was checked right after I went whole food plant based, no salt,oil,sugar and it was 27.8. I’ve never been diagnosed as anemic, but have many symptoms,most troublesome is the chronic fatigue, but brittle nails,dry skin and hair, and constant hair loss, cold feet and hands and very anxious, I realize all of these are symptomatic of so many illnesses, but they all started after I went through menopause and stopped taking the iron in my multivitamin …
I look forward to watching Dr. Greger’s videos!! Thank you all for what you do!!

Hi Mary, i’m a biochemist who does nutritional counseling. If all your other tests, liver function, kidney function (GFR) are normal, you may consider asking your doctor for a full iron panel to have more information as to what is going on.
I have found that some vegan women, even ones no longer menstruating, have this problem.

As Dr. Gregor teaches, there is danger in heme (animal derived) iron. There is evidence that the body only absorbs as much non-heme iron as it needs. So that is the safest form if the tests show you need to supplement,
There is one called Vitamin Code Raw Iron by Garden of Life. It is non-heme. Best taken early morning before eating with some food containing vitamin C. (It does have some C in it.). Non- heme iron won’t make you constipated btw..
Also note that non-heme iron absorption is lower in meals when coffee or tea is consumed.
Hope this helps.

PS: I left out a very important medical consideration. Sometimes anemia is a sign of a serious medical problem, such as blood loss due to a cancer, such as colon cancer. So, if you have anemia, you should certainly see your doctor about it, so (s)he can rule out serious problems.

I am vegan and recently had a very low white blood cell count along with possible infection and issues with bone marrow. The blood specialist is looking into this. However, in the meantime is there anything in particular I can do to add to my diet to bring my white blood cells up?

I’m sorry to hear about your health concerns. As you can see in this video, normally a lower white blood cell count is a good thing; however, in your case it may be stemming from issues in the bone marrow. You should absolutely follow up with your hematologist about what is going on and see what they advise as far as treatment. Marilyn (see below) also suggested some good dietary changes that may help bring up your WBC count, but that should not replace medical therapy in a case such as yours.

Hi Kathy, I’m a biochemist who does nutritional counseling, (just so you know where I’m coming from).
There are not a lot of studies on how to raise your white cell count, but there are some.
Foods that contain selenium will raise it.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11575678

Don’t know what is available where you live. I can find fresh and frozen shitake, fresh maitake here.
But even regular crimini and white button mushrooms are good. Experts do not recommend portobello though.
Keep in mind, mushrooms should -absolutely- be cooked, do not eat them raw.